Sammy Smith accomplished a feat Talladega hadn’t seen in more than 23 years, winning two NASCAR national-series races in the same weekend. He bagged Friday’s Truck Series event and followed it with Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win, becoming the first driver to complete a Talladega national-series weekend sweep since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in April 2003. Smith did it just as his career prepares to move away from Dale Jr.’s JR Motorsports.
There’s one difference, though. Smith won in Trucks and O’Reilly series, while Junior had won the Busch Series Aaron’s 312 on April 5, 2003, then bagged the Winston Cup Aaron’s 499 the following afternoon. That Cup win also gave Earnhardt a fourth consecutive Talladega win, separate from Smith’s accomplishment.
Smith is only the fifth driver to win multiple NASCAR national-series races during one Talladega weekend, following Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Dale Jr. Smith also became the first to sweep the track’s fall weekend.
During Saturday’s race, Carson Kvapil controlled The Progress Group 250 for 67 of 94 laps, while Smith led only one lap. The No. 8 driver stayed behind his JR Motorsports teammate late, used drafting help to close, and moved alongside the No. 1 Chevrolet on the final lap. Jesse Love pushed Smith through the tri-oval, helping the No. 8 edge Kvapil by 0.084 seconds.
“Man, that was mentally draining; just thank you to everybody. It was a great-executed race by JRM, and we did a good job sticking to our plan with getting those guys [Kvapil’s team] stage points. I’m sure they wanted them to win, but I had a good run there to take it, and [spotter] Tyler Green did a great job up top to help me get backed up.
“Thanks to Jesse [Love] for pushing me. I’m just happy for everyone on this No. 8 Chevrolet; it’s been a tough year this year, and I’m looking forward to Martinsville next week,” Smith said after ending a 53-race O’Reilly winless streak.
The result gave him his fourth career win in the series and his second win at Talladega, the same track where he had bagged his first JR Motorsports win in October 2024. So, Talladega now bookends two major moments from his three-year run with the organization.
JRM also entered Saturday with championship priorities elsewhere. Dale Jr. wanted the organization to help Kvapil, Justin Allgaier and Corey Day collect stage points as they pursued the title. Smith followed that plan during the stages, then chased the victory once the opportunity opened at the finish.
The team’s earlier emphasis dealt with stage points, while Smith raced for himself when the checkered flag came into play.
Meanwhile, Friday had already shown what Smith could do with a chance to win. Driving Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet, he led a race-high 21 of 86 laps and survived an overtime scramble to beat Tyler Ankrum by 0.091 seconds for his first Truck Series win in his 11th start.
Smith went high during the closing order and reached the line before a four-wide fight developed behind him. Crew chief Brian Pattie guided the effort.
When NASCAR asked what that result told him about his future competition, Smith answered simply. “That I am a winner, and I know I can win.” Less than 24 hours later, he backed up that statement in another Chevrolet and another national series.
Sammy Smith Returns to Toyota With TRICON in 2027
TRICON Garage announced his 2027 deal Friday morning before either victory, so Talladega didn’t prompt the move. Smith will drive the No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro full time in his first full Truck Series season, when the division becomes the NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series.
Dawson Sutton, Kaden Honeycutt and Gio Ruggiero will join him as TRICON’s other full-time drivers, while the organization will rotate competitors through the No. 1 entry. However, TRICON has not yet announced Smith’s crew chief pairing or complete sponsorship package.
Smith said the evolution of his summer split from JRM forced him to evaluate where he could build the strongest 2027 program. That process also brought him back to Toyota after he left the manufacturer’s development system following the 2023 season.
“TRICON and Toyota was really my best option to be able to go out and win races,” Smith said during Toyota’s announcement-day media availability. He also thanked Toyota personnel for welcoming him back into the program.
Smith won Friday with Spire Motorsports in a Chevrolet Silverado, won Saturday with JR Motorsports in a Chevrolet Camaro, and will move into a Toyota Tundra next season.
Smith still has two more races at Martinsville and Homestead on the O’Reilly schedule in 2026, giving him two final opportunities with the organization before he moves on to TRICON. His difficult 2026 season won’t disappear because of one remarkable weekend, but consecutive wins across two series are useful before his move to TRICON.